The Case for Using the Direwolfs Sparingly

Remember the Great Eagles

J. Garcia
J. Garcia
Jul 24, 2017 · 4 min read

Scene: The world is collapsing around the hero. A terrible battle has or is being waged. There is no escape. The hero looks around and, here add some special effect like lava, an enemy army, or evil creatures, sees peril all around him. There is no escape. The end of the hero is imminent. Then, summoned as if by fate giant eagles cloud the, already cloudy, sky and reach down and save the hero.

Remember that? How could you not? It happened in The Hobbit trilogy (I’m talking about the films) when Thorin Oakenshield and company battled a band of Goblins and Wargs and at the Battle of the Five Armies. Then, in The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) movies when the Great Eagles rescue Gandalf from atop of Isengard and before and during the War of the Ring. Then, again at Zirak-Zigil. Also making an appearance to defeat Nazgûl. Finally, to rescue Frodo and Sam after the ring is destroyed on Mount Doom.

Overkill? Well, even Tolkien, in the Letters of J.R.R Tolkien, stated he was weary of the Deus ex eagle.

The Eagles are a dangerous ‘machine’. I have used them sparingly, and that is the absolute limit of their credibility or usefulness.
J.R.R. Tolkien on flying the One Ring to Mount Doom

It was nice to see Nymeria. Unlike her unlucky siblings, she has survived. However, it was nice to see her live her own life. Nymeria is a creature of the woods. Although the books treat the Direwolfs very differently, they are constantly near the Starks, the show has focused on the human struggle. On the cycle of pain, fear, suffering, revenge, and redemption. It is a model that works. It is a model that feels more satisfying than having a supernatural creature sweep in and save the day.

HBO

Think back to the Battle of the Bastards. This was an amazingly choreographed and visually stunning spectacle. However, when Jon Snow was at the edge of defeat Littlefinger’s army saves the day. It was a Tolkien trapping. Get the battle going. Have the heroes near defeat. Get a bigger army or more powerful beings deliver victory. See the formula? Sure we could say that Sansa was really the mastermind here, but was she?

HBO

Now think about the Battle of Blackwater. It was a while ago in season 2. The one with the wildfire. Tyrion Lannister was Hand of the King. Stannis was attacking King’s Landing. Joffrey bails on his troops. Cersei is locked away waiting for defeat and possibly suicide-by-executioner. What makes this battle great wasn’t the wildfire. It was Tyrion’s ingenuity. It was Joffrey’s cowardice contrasted against Tyrion's bravery. It was the fact that Tyrion was saved not by a Dragon, or a wolf, or an Eagle but his father. The same father he is seeking to impress. The family dynamics and human failings make this battle great. The battle is won by the ingenuity of human grit. It is more satisfying than an external force coming in and saving the day.

Keeping the Direwolfs off-screen helps humanize the Starks. Sure Daenerys’ has her dragons but look at the hoops she has had to jump through to make her vulnerable. We had to be dragged through a land and people who have very little to do with the main story. Surely, having the dragons come in and destroy everything in their path and, then, giving her the Iron Throne would be a quick solution, but again it would make an incredibly boring show. So, be it budget reasons or whatever keeping the Direwolfs off-screen has made Game of Thrones a much better show.

HBO

Literary Analyses

Works Delving into the Literature

J. Garcia

Written by

J. Garcia

Writer. Reader. https://www.patreon.com/JaGarcia

Literary Analyses

Works Delving into the Literature

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